Hot chocolate

Hot chocolate (also known as hot cocoa) is a heated beverage typically consisting of shaved chocolate, melted chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk or water, and sugar. Drinking chocolate is similar to hot chocolate, but is made from melted chocolate shavings or paste, rather than a powdered mix that is soluble in water. Also, drinking chocolate usually is not as sweet as hot chocolate.

The first chocolate beverage is believed to have been created by the Mayas around 2,000 years ago, and a cocoa beverage was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 AD. The beverage became popular in Europe after being introduced from Mexico in the New World, and has undergone multiple changes since then. Until the 19th century, hot chocolate was even used medicinally to treat ailments such as stomach diseases. Today, hot chocolate is consumed throughout the world and comes in multiple variations including the very thick cioccolata densa served in Italy, and the thinner hot cocoa that is typically consumed in the United States.

Yoo-hoo

Yoo-hoo is an American chocolate beverage. The stated ingredients on the label include water, high-fructose corn syrup, whey, sugar,corn syrup solids, cocoa, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, sodium caseinate (from milk), non-fat dry milk, salt, tricalcium phosphate,dipotassium phosphate, xanthan gum, guar gum, natural and artificial flavors, soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, vitamin A palmiate,niacinamide (vitamin B3), vitamin D3, and riboflavin (vitamin B2).

History

Yoo-hoo originated in New Jersey in the 1920s, when Italian-American Natale Olivieri sold "Tru-Fruit" soft drinks in his small store. Olivieri discovered a process to produce a chocolate soft drink that would not spoil. The name Yoo-hoo, already being used for Olivieri's other fruit drinks, was applied to the chocolate-flavored drink as well. Yoo-hoo would soon begin to be bottled by a major bottling company and to be sold in supermarkets and shops worldwide.

A bottling plant was opened up in Batesburg, South Carolina by Tommy Giresi in the 1940s.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Yoo-hoo went through a large promotional campaign that included Yogi Berra and the New York Yankees officially sponsoring the drink. The image of Berra drinking a bottle of Yoo-hoo while wearing a suit, in particular, became famous. The ads featured Berra holding the bottle next to his face and saying with a smile, "It's Me-He for Yoo-Hoo!"

Also during the 1950s, B.B.C. Industries took over Yoo-hoo. They held ownership until 1976, when it was bought by Iroquois Brands. Yoo-hoo was sold again in 1981 to a group of private investors, which in turn sold Yoo-hoo to Pernod Ricard in 1989.

In 2001, Pernod Ricard sold Yoo-hoo to Cadbury-Schweppes, with production responsibilities falling to CS's Mott's group, and marketing and advertising responsibilities under Snapple. This led to an increased awareness of the once-popular beverage.

The soft drink company's headquarters are in Rye Brook, New York, with plants in Carlstadt, New Jersey, and Opelousas, Louisiana. Yoo-hoo owns other chocolate drink brands, which include Choc-Ola, Brownie, Cocoa Dusty and Chocolate Soldier.

In May 2008, Cadbury-Schweppes split into Cadbury and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, of which Yoo-hoo is now part.

Banania

Banania is a popular chocolate drink found most widely distributed in France. It is made from cocoa, banana flour, cereals, honey and sugar. There are two types of Banania available in French supermarkets: 'traditional' which must be cooked with milk for 10 minutes, and 'instant' which can be prepared in similar fashion to Nesquik.

History

During a visit near Lake Managua, Nicaragua, in 1909, the journalist Pierre Lardet discovered the recipe for a cocoa-based drink. When he returned to Paris, he started its commercial fabrication and, in 1912, began marketing Banania with the picture of an Antillaise. Her image was replaced in 1915 with the drawing of a widely smiling Senegalese man.

At the outset of World War I, the popularity of the colonial troops at the time led to the replacement of the West Indian by the now more familiar jolly Senegalese infantry man enjoying Banania. Pierre Lardet took it upon himself to distribute the product to the Army, using the line pour nos soldats la nourriture abondante qui se conserve sous le moindre volume possible ("for our soldiers: the abundant food which keeps, using the least possible space").

The brand's yellow background underlines the banana ingredient, and the Senagalese infantryman's red and blue uniform make up the other two main colours. The slogan Y'a bon ("It's good") derives from the pidgin French supposedly used by these soldiers (it is, in fact, an invention). Slowly but surely, the slogan and the character became inseparable as the expression was coined: l'ami y'a bon ("the y'a bon buddy").

The form of the character has since evolved, so that now all that remains is the name. However, the original advertising has become a cultural icon in France. Posters and reproduction tin-plate signs of the pre-war advertising continue to be sold.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, Banania sponsored the Yellow Jersey of the Tour de France. In France the Banania brand is now owned by the newly-founded French company Nutrial, which acquired it from Unilever in 2003.

Controversy

The advertising slogans and images have been labelled racist and colonialist by some who argue that it reinforces the old cliché of a friendly yet stupid African. Some French black people connect this stereotype with aggressive colonialist policy in Africa of the global group Unilever, the old unique owner of the brand. Martiniquan psychiatrist and philosopher, Frantz Fanon in his 1952 book Black Skin, White Masks mentions the grinning Senegalese tirailleur as an example of how in a burgeoning consumer culture, the Negro appears not only as an object, but as "an object in the midst of other objects".

Nesquik

Nesquik is a family of milk beverage products made by the Nestlé corporation. It began as a chocolate powdered flavoring mix in the United States in 1948, as Nestlé Quik. In the 1950s, it was launched in Europe as Nesquik. In countries with the Quik term (including the USA, Canada,Mexico, and Australia, where it was originally marketed under the name Nestlé's Quik), the name was changed to the worldwide brand Nesquikin 1999. At the same time, General Mills introduced Nesquik cereal, a breakfast cereal that "turns milk into chocolate milk," which is similar to Cocoa Puffs.

Product line

Powders

• Nestle Quik Chocolate Powder was introduced in 1948.
• Nestle Quik Banana Powder was introduced 1954.
• Nestle Quik Strawberry Powder was introduced prior to 1960.
• Nestle Quik Vanilla Powder was introduced in 1979
• Additional powder flavors have been introduced, but discontinued: Cherry (1989–1995), Cream (1997), Triple Chocolate (2002–2006), Vanilla (2003–2006), Honey (2001–2006), Crème Soda (sold in South Africa until recently).

• Nestle Quik Chocolate No Sugar Added was introduced in 1993. This product contains artificial sweetener (sucralose).

Syrup

• Nestle Quik Chocolate Syrup was introduced in 1981. Strawberry was added in 1989. Mixed flavours, such as Strawberry Banana and Chocolate Caramel, have also been produced.

Ready-to-Drink

• Nestle introduced Ready-to-Drink Quik Chocolate Milk in 1984. Strawberry was added in 1987, and Banana was added in 1990. Vanilla and Double Chocolate are also available.
• Fat Free Quik Chocolate Milk was introduced in 1998.
• Nesquik Milkshakes come in Chocolate and Strawberry. Chocolate Caramel was introduced in 2007.
• Nestle introduced Nesquik "Magic" Straws in 2008

The ready-to-drink versions of Nesquik ended production in 2009 in the UK.

Others

• Nestlé Nesquik chocolate candy bars (back then, they were known as Nestlé Quik candy bars before the name change).
• "Nestlé Nesquik" breakfast cereal, made of chocolate-flavored rice and corn puffs, is produced by Cereal Partners Worldwide, a joint venture between General Mills and Nestlé. This, like some other chocolate breakfast cereals, flavors the milk.
• A Nesquik flavor of Nestlé hot cocoa mix features bunny-shaped marshmallows and advertises 38% more calcium than regular hot cocoa.

Swiss Miss

Swiss Miss is a name brand for cocoa powder and pudding products sold by American food company ConAgra Foods, Inc. The brand advertises that it is created with a blend of "dark European cocoa", and Swiss Miss is a well-established, well-known brand of instant hot chocolate.

They have multiple products including different lines of Hot Cocoa. Their hot cocoa is available in regular and "no sugar added", with or without small marshmallows, Great Start Cocoa (fortified with 15 essential vitamins and minerals) and Pick-Me-Up (with 67 mg of caffeine/packet).

History

In the 1950s the company sold its original hot cocoa product as an on board beverage to airline passengers. Only after the drink became popular did it sell products in grocery stores.

Chocolate milk

Chocolate milk is a sweetened, usually cold, cocoa-flavored milk drink. It is created when chocolate syrup (or chocolate powder) is mixed with milk (from cows, goats, soy, rice, etc). It can be purchased pre-mixed or made at home with either cocoa powder and a sweetener (such as sugar or a sugar substitute), or with melted chocolate, chocolate syrup, or chocolate milk mix. Other ingredients, such as starch, salt, carrageenan, vanilla, or artificial flavoring may be added. Chocolate milk should be refrigerated like plain milk. A suspension is required to blend in the two flavors (milk and chocolate, hence the name of the mixed drink). When chocolate milk begins to spoil, it gives off a coffee-like odor, unlike plain milk, and due to the properties of the carrageenan, certain brands are known to, after a certain amount of time, coagulate into a viscous, chunky bottom layer and a thin, watery upper layer. It was invented by Hans Sloane in the late 1680s.

Supplement

Some nutritionists have criticized chocolate milk for its high sugar content and its relationship to childhood obesity. Of the milk served in U.S. schools, 71 percent is flavored. In New York City, school food officials say nearly 60 percent of the 100 million cartons served each year are fat-free chocolate milk. Because chocolate milk can contain twice as much sugar as plain low-fat milk from added sugars, some school districts have stopped serving it, including those in Berkeley, CA, and Washington, DC. In the US, 32 percent of children and teens are overweight and at risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and other issues related to obesity.

A number of studies indicate that chocolate milk aids in recovery when taken after athletic workouts. A study at Loughborough University found that Milk was an effective rehydration drink. In a 2010 report it was studied with 13 college soccer players with results in favor of chocolate milk workout supplementation. In a 2006 study, authors believed the benefits were due to its ratio of carbohydrates to protein, among other nutritional properties. However, this study was small in scale with only nine athletes and partially funded by the dairy industry. Furthermore, the study compared chocolate milk to two energy drinks and unflavored milk was not used as a comparison, so it is unknown if chocolate milk is superior to unflavored milk as a recovery drink.

A 2005 study by the New York City (NYC) Department of Education found that by removing whole milk and replacing it with low-fat to fat-free chocolate milk, students were served an estimated 5,960 fewer calories and 619 fewer grams of fat per year.

Chocolate supplies oxalic acid, which reacts with the calcium in the milk producing calcium oxalate, thus preventing the calcium from being absorbed in the intestine. However, it is present in small enough amounts that the effect on calcium absorption is negligible. As chocolate contains relatively small amounts of oxalate, it is unclear to what extent chocolate consumption affects healthy people who eat calcium-rich diets. In a 2008 study, participants who consumed one or more servings of chocolate on a daily basis had lower bone density and strength than those participants who ate a serving of chocolate six times a week or less. Researchers believe this may be due to oxalate inhibiting calcium absorption — but it could also be due to the chocolate's sugar content, which may increase calcium excretion. It is clear, however, that consuming foods high in oxalate — and in turn their effect on calcium absorption — is a more significant concern for people with oxalate kidney stones, which occur when there is too much oxalate in the urine. These people, especially, should reduce their oxalate intake and increase their calcium intake. However, the high magnesium content in chocolate is likely to reduce the risk of stone formation somewhat, because like citrate, magnesium is also an inhibitor of urinary crystal formation.

A November 2009 study conducted by scientists in Barcelona, Spain suggests that regularly consuming skim milk with cocoa rich in flavonoids may reduce inflammation and slow or prevent the development of atherosclerosis. However, the study notes that its effects are not as pronounced as seen in consumption of red wine.

Cafe mocha

Mocha Latte in Costa Rica

A caffè mocha or café mocha  is a variant of a caffè latte, inspired by the Turin Coffee beverage Bicerin. Like a caffe latte, it is based on espresso and hot milk, but with added chocolate, typically in the form of sweet cocoa powder, although many varieties use chocolate syrup. Mochas can contain dark or milk chocolate.

Like cappuccino, café mochas contain the well-known milk froth on top, although they are sometimes served with whipped cream instead. They are usually topped with a dusting of either cinnamon or cocoa powder. Marshmallows may also be added on top for flavor and decoration.

A variant is white café mocha, made with white chocolate instead of milk or dark. There are also variants of the drink that mix the two syrups; this mixture is referred to by several names, including black and white mocha, tan mocha, marble mocha, tuxedo mocha and zebra.

Café mocha takes its name from the Red Sea coastal town of Mocha, Yemen, which as far back as the fifteenth century was a dominant exporter of coffee, especially to areas around the Arabian Peninsula.

The caffeine content is approximately 10.9 mg/oz (370 mg/L), which is 175 mg for a 16 oz glass.

A mocha with a layer of espresso atop a hot chocolate

Mocha coffee beans

Mocha is also used to describe a type of coffee bean. Smaller and rounder than most other varieties, these beans are derived from the coffee species Coffea arabica, which is native to Ethiopia and Yemen. Although the beans originally shipped from the port of Mocha, Yemen were thought to have had a chocolate-like taste, current mocha beans from Yemen do not.

"Mocha coffee" can refer either to the coffee-with-chocolate drink, or simply to coffee brewed with mocha beans, which were originally cultivated in Yemen and exported through the port of Mocha.

a Caffè Mocha. with milk, Arabica Mocha espresso, milk froth, chocolate syrup, and various toppings. served with amaretto cookie.